Yum Easter / Birthday Cake

I did throw together a very small Easter afternoon tea at my Mum and Dad's lovely beach home. We got together to celebrate my sister in law's birthday and let all the cousins have an easter egg hunt together (which they never wanted to end - I had to keep running around re-hiding the already found eggs due to the degree of desperation they were all exuding every time we said it was over).

I found the recipe for this yummy cake in the latest Next magazine while I was at the hairdressers. I tried to memorise it but kinda didn't do too well. Here is my guessed recipe attempt which turned out so yum and moist!!

Date & fresh ginger cake with cinnamon cream cheese icing:

125g butter

1 1/2 cup of chopped dates

1 cup made up coffee

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup golden syrup

3/4 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 finely grated ginger root (about a thumb size piece)

1 cup plain yoghurt

Once the coffee is made up let the dates soak in it until it cools a bit then blitz it in the blender with the baking soda and golden syrup.

In a bowl cream the butter, sugar and eggs then mix in the yoghurt. Sift in the flour and baking powder then add the ginger and the coffee/date mix. Mix it all until just combined. Bake at 160 degrees until it bounces to the touch.

For the icing mix a tub of cream cheese with 2 cups of icing sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon.

tips - I always do 1.5 times a standard cake recipe to get a nice high cake (the above recipe is standard but the photo is 1.5 times). Add more ginger if you want it extra spicy. Add butter to the icing if you want it creamy and reduce icing sugar to make it less sweet. I always layer a cake with icing but on this occasion it made it too sweet so I wouldnt do it again with this particular icing. This cake would be so good hot with caramel sauce and icecream. YUM